A Co-Workers Debate
by SensationalShay
Summary: Red asks the FBI team a trivia question.


A/N: Just a fun little something I wrote after watching an old Murphy Brown episode on Nick Night! The FYI team were having this same discussion while car pooling to work :)

All mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Wish I did but I don't.

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The Post Office. Monday. 7:57AM.

"Good morning Harold!"

FBI Director Harold Cooper was just hanging up his coat on the coat rack in his office when he heard the voice of the FBI's Fourth Most Wanted Man, Raymond Reddington.

"Reddington. A little early aren't you?" Cooper said looking at him standing in the door way.

"Is it early? I've been up for hours." Red said with a smirk.

"What's up?" Cooper said turning to walk to his desk.

"A new week. A new name on the Blacklist, Harold." Red said.

"Well Agent Keen isn't in yet but if you would like to speak to me my ears are open." Cooper said.

Red laughed before saying, "You know the rules Harold. I only speak to Elizabeth. She's on her way. In fact your whole team will be arriving shortly."

"Well in that case let's head to the conference room." Cooper said picking up his glasses and walking around his desk, heading for the door.

"Lead the way." Red said.

Cooper saw the ever present and always silence Dembe standing just outside the office door.

"Caroline, tell Keen, Ressler, Malik and Aram I want to see them all in the conference room as soon as they get here." Cooper said to his secretary as he passed by her desk.

"Yes, Sir." Caroline said.

It didn't take long for Red, Cooper and Dembe to make their way downstairs to the conference room. Just as they were walking in, a man motioned for Cooper's attention.

"Excuse me for a moment Reddington. Go on in." Cooper said to Red.

"Take your time Harold." Red said as he continued walking into the room.

Red walked to the very front of the room and sat down at the end of the long rectangular table. Dembe standing to his left. On the opposite wall hung a large flat screen TV that was playing softly. Red and Dembe watched Al Roker speak to some of the New Yorkers standing outside The Today Show studios.

"And now for a Monday trivia question! If you were to get struck by lightning, which of the five senses would you lose? The answer at the top of the next hour." Al said.

"Hearing." Red said with a grin.

Just then Cooper and Ressler walked into the room.

"Ah good morning Donald. I trust you had a pleasant weekend?" Red asked, looking at Ressler with a grin.

"Reddington." Ressler said with a frown.

"Hey Donald listen. Al was just asking, if you got hit by lightning, which of the five senses would you lose?" Red asked motioning to the TV screen.

Ressler looked at Red for a moment before saying, "Surely you have better things to do then watch The Today Show, Reddington."

"Of course I do Donald but till Agent Keen arrives I have no intention of discussing or doing anything. Now answer the question. What would you lose?" Red asked looking at Ressler as he took his seat next to Cooper, who had sat down to Red's left.

Ressler didn't answer for a moment, thinking. He then said with a grin, "Touch. You ever get an electrical shock? It takes awhile to get the feeling back."

Red smiled at Ressler before turning to Cooper.

"And your guess Harold?"

Cooper looked up from his note pad in front of him and said, "I guess sight."

"Why?" Red asked.

"Well taking into account that the human eye is made mostly of water, the intense heat from the lightning bolt would surely dehydrate the organ and destroy it."

"Interesting." Red said.

"What's interesting?" Malik asked as she walked into the room, catching just the tell end of the conversation.

"Reddington here has a new hobby in his old age. He's taken up watching Al Roker and the Today Show team. He's fascinating by Al's question of the day." Ressler said with a grin.

"And what question would that be?" Meera asked taking her seat. She sat two seats down from Red on his right side.

"If you were struck by lightning, which of the five senses would you lose?" Ressler said. "I said touch and Cooper said sight."

Meera looking back and forth between Ressler and Red, who was looking at her curiously, before saying, "I would have to say taste. There are twelve cranial nerves that carry taste sensations to the tongue. If any of those or any of the facial nerves get damaged, your sense of taste would be shot."

"I would say smell. The sense of smell is one of the most evolved in nature. Did you know snakes smells with their tongue and fleas smell with their feet?" Aram said as he walked into the room carrying his laptop in his arms, catching the question and Meera's answer as he rounded the corner.

Ressler turned to Red and asked, "What is your answer?"

"Hearing. You would have to have the brains of a trout to not know that." Red said with a chuckle.

Ressler glared at him as Aram stared open mouthed at him from his spot at the very far end of the table. Meera and Cooper just shook their heads.

Just then Elizabeth walked into the room carrying a to-go cup of coffee and her purse over one shoulder.

"Ah Lizzie! You look lovely fine Monday morning." Red exclaimed as she walked in.

"Red." Lizzie said as she walked around the table and took the open seat that was next to him and Meera.

"Well now that we are all here." Cooper said looking up at Red.

"One moment Harold. Lizzie hasn't had a chance to place her vote." Red said grinning.

"Vote for what?" Lizzie asked taking off her jacket.

"Al Roker asked a trivia question and we all have stated our choices. I would love to hear yours." Red said looking at her.

Lizzie looked at him and the rest of the people at the table before asking, "What's the question?"

"If you were struck by lightning, which of the five senses would you most likely lose?" Red asked.

Lizzie thought for a minute and then said, "Hearing."

Red immediately grinned as the rest of the room stared at her.

"Why?" Red asked.

"Lightning is an explosive force. Millions of volts and over 50,000 degrees, it would no doubt collapse the ear drum and in fact burn the entire ear canal instantly." Lizzie said looking at her co workers.

Red grinned as he looked at her. The room was silent before Cooper spoke up.

"Yes well now that everyone is in attendance, may we proceed?"

"Yes of course Harold. I am on a schedule after all." Red replied.

Ressler rolled his eyes as he looked at him.

"Celina Castaneda. The next Blacklister." Red said looking at Lizzie. "She's one of the best thieves out there today. I've never seen anything like it. She can steal anything! She can be hired but also steals for herself."

"Ok." Lizzie says.

"Saturday night at the Christie's Auction House in New York City they will be auctioning off one of the largest emeralds known to date. Mined in Brazil, it's over 43,000 carets, weighs almost 20 pounds and almost 10 inches long. It's been appraised for $1.5 million dollars."

"She wants to steal a 20 pound emerald?" Ressler asked.

"Yes. She's reached out to me. She's got the floors plans, schedules, entrances, exits, security, the works. Celina knows that place like the back of her hand. She works alone so how she's managed to get all that I'm not sure but she does. "

"What does she need you for?" Meera asked.

"She needs me to find her someone to create a diversion. Someone or something that will draw attention away. She doesn't need long. At most seven minutes she said. And I don't mean a diversion like the fire alarm going off or something you see on TV." Red says.

"What does she wants you to do?" Lizzie asked softly.

"She wants me to find someone who will cut the power. Not the just the power at Christie's but a city wide blackout." Red replies.

Silenced filled the room as they all stared at Red.

"My God. If the city of New York went into a massive blackout…" Lizzie started to say.

"Carnage would erupt. Massive looting, arson. People would automatically assume it was a terrorist attack." Aram said in shock.

"People would panic. Stock market would bottom out." Ressler.

"All true. Which is why I'm here. I've fixed her up with a very eccentric Russian electronics and explosives expert I know." Red says.

Silenced once again filled the room.

"You didn't really help her did you? Please tell me you didn't send her someone who can in fact cause a total blackout in New York City!" Lizzie says with a panic.

Red laughs at her expression. "Of course not Lizzie. Alexander is an old friend. A good friend. I've called in a favor. I told him to meet with her. Tell her what he plans on doing, how he will do it, how much he will charge. Everything she will be expecting. Celina will think everything is going and will go according to plan."

"You didn't tell this Alexander you are working for us did you?" Ressler asked with a frown.

"Now why would I do that Donald? My business would surely plummet." Red said sarcastically. "I knew if I didn't help her she would find someone else who would so I told Alexander I needed his help because Celine's plan could not take place. Alexander thinks I don't want this to happen because I have another client. I told him one of the Crowned Princes of Saudi Arabia wants to buy the emerald for one of his wives to use as a show piece in one of their homes. I paid him the money Celine paid me."

"Ok good plan." Lizzie said.

"I know." Red said with a wink.

"So what do we do? How do we catch her?" Ressler asked.

"Well I'm not doing your job for you Donald. I've done the hard part already. You will have all week to figure out a plan to catch her. As I said she works alone. Always has." Red said.

"Why does she want the emerald anyways? You can't use something of that size to make jewelry can you?" Meera asked.

'No it's way to big. That's why I said the Prince's wife wanted it as a show piece." Red replied. "I'm not sure why she wants it. She never said. I'm guessing she's going to try and re sale it for a higher amount then it would action off and keep the money."

"Alright people, let's get to work. Aram find me as much about Celina Castaneda that you can." Cooper said to Aram, taking off his glasses.

Aram nodded his head as he picked up his laptop and stood up. As the rest of the room began gathering up their stuff Ressler noticed Al Roker was back on the TV.

"Oh guys look Al's about to answer the trivial question."

Everyone stopped and turned towards the TV.

"Turn it up." Cooper said.

Aram, who was closest to the TV picked up the remote that was on the table and raised the volume.

"Okay it's time to answer today's trivia question. If you were struck by lightning, which of the five senses would you lose?" and after a slight pause, Al said, "The answer is…Hearing! Can you believe it?"

"YES!" Lizzie exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

Groans echoed throughout the room, along with a few eye rolls and head shakes.

"Very good Lizzie." Red said with grin, as he placed his black fedora hat on his head. "I knew it from the very start."

"Knew what?" Lizzie asked with a frown.

"That you were the only one out of this group who isn't completely useless." Red said looking at Ressler with a grin.

Ressler gave Red a glare before leaving the room. Meera, Cooper and Aram following behind him.

"It's going to be a good day Lizzie." Red said escorting Lizzie out of the room with his hand on the small of her back. Dembe following quietly behind.

The End!

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Review :)


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